Martin j



(No Model.)

M. J. CUNNINGHAM & J. P. BAILEY.

Hedge Trimmer.

No. 231,282. Patented Aug. 17,1880.

N-PETERS. PHOTD-UTHOGRAPHER. WA$HINGTOPL D UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN J. CUNNINGHAM AND JOSIAH P. BAILEY, OF SPRINGFIELD, M0.

HEDGE-TRIMMER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,282, dated August 17, 1880.

Application [ilcd May 27, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MAn'riN J. CUNNING- HAM and J OSIAH l. BAILEY, both of Springfield, county of Greene, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hedge-Trimmers, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure I is a perspective view of a hedgetrimmer embracing our improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cutter-frame and of the rocking sleeve connecting it with the adjustable gear-frame, and Fi g. 3 is a transverse section through the cutter-frame in front ofthe uprights through which said frame is connected with the rocking sleeve.

Similar letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all figures.

Our invention relates to a novel manner of connecting the cutter-frame with the rocking sleeve, through which said frame is connected with the adjustable gear-frame for facilitating the change from a horizontal ti) 'a-pertical cut, and vice versa, and whereby, also, saichcuttcrframe can be set to cut at any intermediate angle without necessitating its being disconnected from the machine and without change of gears. The machine in its general arrangement of parts or organization is similar to that described in Letters Patent granted to us J anuary 13, 1880, No. 223,485, and need not, therefore, be described in detail here, further than is necessary to an umlerstanding of our present improvements.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the main frame, B the main drive-wheel axle, and G G the carrying and driving wheels mounted thereon. D is the gear-frame, connected at its lower end with the main axle, and made adjustable upon the same as a center and vibrating over the main frame under such adjustment.

One of the longitudinal bars D of the gearfra-me D, at its outer swinging end, outside of the sleeve-bearing, at d, for the rocking sleeve E, is expanded in width in the form of a quadrant, D, and has a slot, d, formed in it in the are of a circle of which the axial center of sleeve E is the center.

The sleeve E has an arm or lever, E, con- (No model.)

nected with it for rockingit and adjusting the angle or pitch of the cutter-frame after it has been set at the desired height by the adjustment of the gear-frame on the axle, and a pin, 6, connected with the lever E, passes through theslot d, and is held by a thumb-nut or other suitable fastening for retaining the lever E, and with it the sleeve E and cutter-frame, at the desired adjustment. The outer end of sleeve E has a hub or collar, 1 secured to it, provided with laterally projecting parallel arms or cars f f, sufiiciently removed from each other to accommodate the bevel-gears operating the rotating cutter-shaft between them; and to these arms, at a point in the same vertical and longitudinal plane with the rotating cutter-shaft, are pivoted the uprights (l G of an angular bracket, l, secured to the main transverse frame-bar II of the cutterframe. The uprights G G embrace the lugs or arms ff between them, extending be ond the pivotal connection therewith, as shown in Figs. l. and 3, and are provided with slots y y, formed in the are of a circle of which said pivotal connection is the center, through which bolts or thumb-screws 1 pass into the lugs or arms f for retaining the uprights, and with them the cutter-frame, at any desired angle of adjustment.

The slots 1 extend a quarter of a circle or more, and are so arranged as to permit the adjustment of the cutter-frame from the horizontal position shown to a vertical one; or said frame can be set and held by means of the bolts or screws 9 at any intermediate position, as may be desired.

The sleeve E has bearings for an inclosed gear-shaft, as explained in our former patent referred to, and 011 the inner end of said shaft is a bevel-wheel, I, which engages with and imparts motion to a bevel-wheel, I, mounted on the inner end of one of the pivots f, connecting the cutter-frame with the sleeve, and arranged in the same vertical plane with the cutter-shaft, as explained.

Motion is imparted by bevel-wheel I to a bevel-wheel, 1 on the cutter-shaft, and as the latter, together with the pivoted cutter-frame, in which it has its bearings, is vibrated in adjusting the cutter-frame around the stud shaft or pivot on which wheel I rotates, it will be seen that the cutter-frame can be adjusted as desired without disturbing the relation of the driving-gears.

The cutter-frame, except in its attachment 5 to the rocking sleeve above described, and other parts of the machine not particularly described,are similar to those described in our former patent, above referred to.

Having now described our invention, we

10 claim- 1. In ahedge-trimmer, thelongitudinal gearframe bar extended in the form of a slotted quadrant beyond the sleeve-bearing for the rocking sleeve, to which the cutter-frame is at- I 5 tachcd for holding said sleeve at any desired adjustment, substantially as described.

2. The cutter-frame pivoted to the rocking sleeve through the slotted uprights, in combination with the bolts or screws for holding said frame atany desired angle of adjustment. 2o

3. The cutter-frame pivoted to the rocking sleeve in line with the shaft of the transmitting gear-wheel interposed between the bevel-gears on the vertical cutter-shaft and the horizontal driving-shattactuating the same, substantially 2 5 as and for the purpose set forth.

MARTIN J. CUNNINGHAM. J. P. BAILEY.

\Vitnesses JAMES KERSHAW, A. A. BAILEY. 

